Industry Issues/Trends
Problems With Online Exercise Advice
Researchers found that professional associations and government sites were best at sharing accurate information, while commercial sites were worst.
How to Succeed at Online Health Coaching
A great opportunity exists for health and wellness coaches ready to embrace the online/virtual environment through telemedicine and online coaching.
Survey: Many Exercising More During Pandemic
Results from a survey of 12,913 participants between March 24 and March 30 showed that people exercised at a greater frequency during the pandemic.
Help Clients Return to Training Safely, Smartly
Whether it’s been a few weeks or a few months, personal trainers must update programs to fit clients’ current status, not their pre-coronavirus fitness levels.
CPR Modifications in a Pandemic
The American Heart Association has published interim CPR guidelines to help rescuers treat victims of cardiac arrest with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
August 2020 Question of the Month: Outdoor Workouts During COVID-19
Since the risk of spreading COVID-19 is lower in outdoor settings, have you developed new outdoor workouts or moved indoor workouts to an outdoor venue?
Wearables That Monitor Heart Rate Now Colorblind
Some people with darker skin tones have experienced inaccurate heart rate readings when using HR monitors.
Weight Bias in the Health and Fitness Industry
In an industry that strives to help people improve health and fitness, there is still a significant amount of judgment and stigma toward people with obesity.
July 2020 Question of the Month: Streaming Programs
Are you or any of your facility’s trainers offering streaming programs?
America’s Weight Status
By 2030, approximately half of the U.S. adult population will be obese, and a quarter will have severe obesity, based on body mass index data.
Unleash Your Greatness and Build a Career That Inspires
Jack Welch, American businessman and former CEO of General Electric, once said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” This is the reason the IDEA World Convention exists—to bring together some of the brightest people in the fitness industry so they can grow into greatness and inspire that growth in clients, students, athletes, co-workers and staff.
Comprising more than 330 sessions led by top coaches, entrepreneurs, and fitness, nutrition and wellness professionals, IDEA World offers the full spectrum of education you are seeking for instant and ongoing career growth, regardless of your position in the industry.
Poorer Health Among Millennials
Fitness professionals may want to reach out to more young adults, as “millennials are seeing their health decline faster than the previous generation as they age,” reports Blue Cross Blue Shield in The Economic Consequences of Millennial Health, published on November 6, 2019. Millennials were born in 1981–1996 and are considered to be the first generation of “digital natives.”
Exercise as Medicine in Cancer Care
Serving cancer survivors is another area in which exercise is being acknowledged as an important part of the healthcare continuum. New guidelines, developed by an international group of experts, advise people living with cancer to avoid inactivity.
Health and Wellness Coaching Approved as Healthcare Service
Health and wellness coaching has hit an important professional milestone. The AMA has officially recognized the role of health and wellness coaches as nonphysician healthcare professionals by approving procedural codes for tracking health and well-being coaching services. This means that health and wellness coaches who are certified by either the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) or by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Inc. are recognized as Category III healthcare professionals.
Virtual Reality and Indoor Cycling
Indoor cyclists who wore virtual-reality headsets experienced less leg-muscle pain during brief, high-intensity intervals than cyclists who wore headsets showing static images, according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2019; 51 [10], 2088–97).
January 2020 Question of the Month: Equipment and Activity Trends
What activities or equipment-based program trends are you seeing in the new year? Are you boosting promotion of any particular programs like high-intensity interval training, indoor cycling, yoga or barre? Or are you offering shorter class times or opportunities for virtual training? Please share your success stories.
Social Media Gives Insight on Training Patterns
Walking was the most popular activity. Western women and Midwestern men did more intensive exercise than those in any other region. The South had the biggest gender gap in exercise intensity
Excellent Customer Service in the Digital Age
What has changed with customer service in the last decade, and certainly in the last five years? The intersection of customer service and technology. Nowadays, clients interact more with devices, apps and platforms than they do with a live person. In many instances, these online interactions make for rapid, efficient service.
Cultural Appropriation in Yoga
Yoga teachers will already be well aware that the yamas are one of the eight limbs of yoga. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the word yamas can be translated as “abstinences”; in other words, these are things yogis should avoid doing (Satchidananda 2012).
